


Derek's Stray Problem

by charlesdk



Series: Tumblr Fics [27]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, College Student Stiles, Landlord Derek, M/M, Tumblr Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 10:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlesdk/pseuds/charlesdk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek has a habit for picking up strays. Sometimes dogs, sometimes cats, sometimes two drunk college students who end up crashing at his place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Derek's Stray Problem

Derek had only just wrapped his hand around the bundle of leashes, when there was an excited bark from further inside the apartment followed by the sound of paws running across the hardwood floor.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sound, the smile only growing when the three dogs came into view, all with their tails wagging excitedly and tongues hanging out. Dexter, the tiny terrier with an incredible amount of energy, jumped up and put his front paws on Derek’s thigh, a tiny bark erupting from him.

“Sit,” Derek ordered as he untangled the leashes, and when all three of them sat down, he moved to attach one leash to each of the dogs’ collars.

“Zelda,” he continued, spotting the orange cat coming toward them out of the corner of his eye. “You stay.”

The cat paused and turned to look at him. She didn’t understand him, of course not. She’s a cat. But she moved to sit down anyway and observed him and the wildly excited dogs, as Derek stepped into his shoes, held the leashes in one hand while grabbing the keys to his place in the other, and got out of the front door without tripping over the dogs.

Derek Hale, 26 years old and one of three surviving Hales, was a landlord with a soft spot for strays. A soft spot as in whenever he passed one, he would take it in, clean it up, feed it, and find it a new home.

Currently, he housed three dogs and one cat. There was Lucky the Golden Retriever who always wanted some of his food and always demanded an ear scratch. Derek had been able to find him a home, a deaf guy who fell in love with Lucky the second they met on the street. A few weeks from now, Lucky would be given away and the thought made him a bit sad.

There was Leia the brown Labrador with an attitude but love for cuddling and belly rubs. He hadn’t been able to find her a home yet, but he imagined it wouldn’t be all that hard, considering her cuteness and how gentle he had seen her be with kids they passed on their walks.

There was Dexter the terrier. He was still a pup, still had enough energy to tire one out just by watching him run around in the living room for hours, chasing after Zelda and trying to get the other dogs to play with him. Sometimes he’d get Lucky to play with him but never Leia.

And there was Zelda, the orange cat Derek had found meowing outside his window one night when his nightmares had kept him awake for hours. He hadn’t been able to find her a home and he didn’t want to either. He had grown attached, and so had Zelda.

With his small handful of animals to take care of, Derek lived on the bottom floor of the building he had bought with the insurance money from his family. He felt bad for using the money on himself - his youngest sister, Cora, used her share on travels, while his older sister, Laura, had put hers in the bank and hadn’t looked at it since - so he had rented out the floors and apartments to people, after he had freshened them up and fixed a few things.

There was a group of three guys - Liam, Mason, and Brett - on the third floor. They were sometimes loud, two of them sports guys, but they were nice, always quieted down when Derek came to tell them to after having gotten complaints from the elderly couple on the floor below them.

There was the newly engaged couple, Danny and Jackson, on the fourth floor, both of whom looked like they could afford to live somewhere better and more expensive, but they both looked content with living there. Derek hadn’t liked Jackson at first, had found him a bit of a douche, but over the months of living in the same building, he had warmed up to him. Danny, on the other hand… Derek had liked Danny from the start.

There was the group of three women - Lydia, Allison, and Kira - living on the second floor across the hall from the elderly couple. Derek couldn’t say he had favorite tenants, but those were probably it if he could.

And on the top floor were Boyd and Erica, his best friends. He had offered it to them when he first bought the building, and Erica had accepted before Boyd could get any word in.

Derek had also offered Isaac, another friend of his, an apartment, but Isaac had politely declined.

“Dexter,” Derek said, tugging on Dexter’s leash. “Don’t eat the shit on the ground.”

Dexter looked up at the sound of his name, then made a whining noise at the look Derek gave him and moved away from the dog poo left on the ground.

Digging into his pocket for one of the plastic bags, Derek bend down and scooped up the shit, tying a knot. It was when he stood back up and looked around for a trashcan when he saw it.

Or rather, _them_.

 _Them_ were two guys, who couldn’t be more than 20, standing near the pond that was filled with ducks in the day time but now that the sun had gone down and the moon was up, it was empty.

One of the guys - his back was turned to Derek, so he couldn’t see what he looked like except for a mess of dark hair - was crouched down and reached over the still water, waving his long fingers around at nothing. The other guy - a crooked jaw, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. He looked cold and tired and most likely  _drunk_ \- was standing a step or two away from Crouching Guy.

“C’mon, Stiles,” Derek could hear Standing Guy say as he bounced lightly in place. “There’re no ducks here, it’s too late and I’m cold and hungry.”

Derek suddenly had to keep a tighter grip on the leashes, because the dogs had taken notice of the other people around as well, Lucky’s tongue lolling out of his mouth and Dexter’s tail wagging so quickly, Derek feared it’d fall off.

“But Scott,” Crouching Guy - _Stiles_ \- said and stood up quickly. Too quickly, apparently, because he had to steady himself with a hand on Scott’s arm. “Scotty, what if the ducks come out for a night swim? I wanna feed the ducks.”

“We don’t have any bread or anything, remember?” Scott reasoned and, despite the lack of light, Derek knew there was a quirked eyebrow.

“Yeah, but-”

Stiles was interrupted when Dexter decided to make himself known by barking loudly, and Derek shushed him but he just did it again.

Having heard the barking, Stiles whipped around.

And Derek froze.

It was dark, sure, but Derek could spot a beautiful man in a dark and crowded club. And this? This was definitely one hell of a beautiful man and just his type. He could practically feel Laura’s elbow nudge, see her suggestive eyebrow wiggle, and see Cora’s teasing grin in front of him. Because that’s what his sisters did. Embarrassed the hell out of him.

“Dogs!”

Derek was pulled out of his thoughts by Stiles’ exclaim, and suddenly Stiles was sprinting over toward them and dropping to his knees, arms held out to pet the dogs that excitedly moved in for the petting. Except Leia who was too busy inspecting a bush nearby.

“Oh my God, you are the cutest!” Stiles laughed, his smile bright and warm as he scratched Lucky’s ear with one hand and playfully moved his other around as Dexter chased after his fingers.

Derek watched him for a moment, his grip on the leashes loose now that Stiles was closer, and he had to fight a smile threatening to appear on his lips. It was only when he noticed Scott come over, that he even bothered prying his gaze away from where his dogs were busy attacking Stiles.

“Sorry ‘bout him,” Scott said, a kind smile on his lips. “He really loves dogs.”

“And you don’t?” Derek asked, quirking a brow at him quickly. He found himself looking back at Stiles, as Stiles stopped petting Lucky and moved to pick Dexter up. Which Lucky didn’t seem to like, and Dexter seemed to love a lot.

“No, I love dogs,” Scott said with a nod. “Studying to be a vet and all. I just- Oh, hello.”

Derek turned his attention back to Scott and saw Leia sniffing curiously at Scott’s hand, the hand that was buried in the pocket of his jacket. The hand that was out of said pocket and petting Leia’s head a second later, Leia leaning into it happily.

“Scott, look at this one!” Stiles called out and held up Dexter. The smile, however, quickly dropped when he locked eyes with Derek. “Oh fuck, you’re hot.”

Derek blinked, surprised and taken aback by the bluntness. He shouldn’t be surprised though. This guy was very clearly drunk, after all. And he was quick to ignore the way his ears suddenly felt hot despite the cool air around them.

“Stiles,” Scott sighed next to him but didn’t stop petting Leia. Lucky was curiously wandering over toward him too, Derek noted.

“I was gonna steal the dogs,” Stiles said, putting Dexter down as he stood up and took a step toward Derek, a grin replacing the previous bright smile, “but can I just steal you instead?”

Derek blinked, and then gave him a deadpan look.

Which seemed to only encourage Stiles more, the grin widening as he stepped closer and held out a hand. “I’m Stiles. What’s your name, handsome?”

Derek gave the held out hand a look, hesitated, and then shifted the bag of dog poo into the hand holding the leashes, so he could reach out and shake it. It was loose and more like holding hands. “Derek. Don’t steal my dogs.”

“Well.” Stiles’ grin was firm in place, grew wider as he held onto Derek’s hand. “Then you’re just gonna have to take me home with you, ‘cause I’m not leaving these cute dogs. Oh my God, you have a third!”

Suddenly, Stiles’ interest in Derek was gone and back on the dogs, when he noticed Leia. Leia who was happily sitting by Scott’s feet, her ear being scratched and her tail wagging.

Derek watched him for a moment, took the chance to take in the beauty of this man in front of him. He was lean, moles dotted his long and pale neck, and his brown hair was a mess. He was beautiful, and Derek couldn’t deny the attraction he felt toward him.

“How old are you?” he blurted before he could stop himself, wriggling his hand out of Stiles’ hold when he noticed they were still shaking- well, _holding_ hands.

“22,” Stiles replied with no hesitation, his attention back on Derek immediately. The grin was back as well. “So completely legal for you to fuck senseless.”

“Oh my God, Stiles!” Scott exclaimed, and Dexter joined in with a loud and happy bark. Stiles just shrugged, his eyes not leaving Derek.

Derek, finding being hit on by a drunk college student flattering rather than annoying, just huffed a laugh and shook his head. “How’d you plan on getting home?”

“Walking,” Scott replied, crouched down to let both Leia and Lucky lick his face, Dexter busy sniffing his butt. Not that Scott seemed to notice. “We’re both too drunk to drive. Don’t have money for a cab.”

Derek gave them both a calculating look - his dogs were loving Scott, Scott was loving them right back, and Stiles was busy shamelessly checking out Derek, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as his eyes wandered downward - and he sighed.

Because he knew what he was going to do. And he hated himself for it.

“You can crash at my place.”

Which was how Scott ended up sound asleep on the couch under a pile of puppies, Zelda having taken interest in him as well and batting at his hair, and how Stiles ended up sitting on the kitchen counter downing a glass of water, while Derek put away their coats and the dogs’ leashes.

“So you own this entire building?” Stiles asked after emptying the glass of water, and he ran the back of his hand along his chin, wiping away the water that had spilled.

And that Derek had definitely not looked at.

Because he had looked away immediately.

“Yeah,” he answered and put the leashes back in their place in a drawer by the door. “Got a few apartments rented out so far.”

“And the dogs and cat?” Stiles jumped down from the counter, placed the now empty glass on it, and walked closer to him. He looked slightly less drunk, but he still wasn’t hiding the fact that he was checking Derek out at any given second.

“Strays.” Derek noticed that the small grin on Stiles’ lips suddenly fell and he started gaping instead, eyes wide on him. “I take them home, feed them, find them a new home.” He shrugged, looking over to the couch where the dogs were asleep on top of Scott and where Zelda had lost interest and was coming over toward them.

“Except for Zelda,” he continued and crouched down to pick her up. “Kinda grew attached to her, so she’s staying.”

“Oh my God,” Stiles let out in a breath. “You’re literally the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”

Derek snorted, giving him a look. “You’ve known me for less than an hour.”

“Yeah, and I’m a quick judge of character.” Stiles shifted and gave him a look that made Derek feel nervous all of the sudden. “You come off as grumpy and an asshole.” Derek gave him a slightly offended look at that, but Stiles continued. “Which I can guess is because you’ve had a shit life, so you gotta put your guards up to protect yourself. But whatever you’ve been through has only made you kind. Not only do you pick up strays and find them a new home, you pick up two drunk, college kids and offer them a place to crash, even though one of them will probably steal your dogs and the other can’t stop flirting with you.”

He paused, a smile forming on his lips. Probably because Derek’s ears were hot all of the sudden.

Derek took the pause to interrupt quickly, just to ask, “do you plan on becoming a detective?”

The smile quickly widened, and Stiles stood up straighter, prouder. “Actually, yes. Getting through college first and then it’s back home to Beacon Hills to follow my dad’s footsteps and become a deputy.”

“Beacon Hills?” Derek’s eyes widened slightly, his heart hammering. He had moved out of that town only days after the fire that took most of his family away and hadn’t looked back since.

Stiles nodded, the smile growing wider on his lips. “Yep. It’s a small town in-”

“California, yeah,” Derek finished for him with a short nod. “I know. I grew up there.”

Stiles immediately perked up, visibly brightened, and he looked interested and like he was going to comment on it, but a yawn interrupted whatever he was going to say, and Derek took that as the end of the conversation.

It was getting uncomfortably comfortable anyway.

“Take the bed in the spare room,” he said and put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder to guide him there.

Stiles immediately grinned widely and didn’t even fight it when Derek pushed him through the living room - Scott was snoring softly, him and the dogs sound asleep, dead to the world - to the spare room. “Taking me to bed already? Could’ve at least bought me dinner first.”

Derek rolled his eyes, bit back a comment, and got Stiles in bed. And Stiles was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow.

Derek stayed awake for another twenty minutes before he went to bed himself, not allowing himself to fall into a deep sleep. Just in case.

*

Derek woke up with a start to the sound of a loud clang and barking followed by a shriek. Immediately, he was out of bed and rushing out of his bedroom, through the living room and to the kitchen.

The kitchen where Lucky and Dexter were happily licking at the floor - that looked like a pile of egg whites splattered on the floor - and where Scott was holding a pan tightly in his hand, a guilty look on his face, and Stiles was gaping at the dogs licking the floor clean.

It’s Stiles who noticed his presence, and the gape disappeared only to be replaced by a set of wide eyes. “It was Scott!”

“Hey!” Scott’s guilty expression was immediately replaced with an offensive look. “I wouldn’t have dropped it if you hadn’t pushed me!”

“Well, maybe you should work on your balance, Scotty! Or maybe, I don’t know, get a better grip on the pan!”

“You should-”

“Hey!” Derek interrupted them and gave them a look, his short shout making the dogs look up as well, Leia still on the couch raising her head shortly before becoming uninterested a second after. “What do you think you’re doing, exactly?”

“Uh,” Stiles started intelligently and scratched the back of his neck. “Making breakfast?” At Derek’s raised and questioning brow, he continued. “You let us crash at your place, man. You don’t even know us, we’re total strangers. We could’ve been axe murderers, for all you know!”

“You were both drunk,” Derek interrupted, deadpan.

Stiles waved a hand at him. “Yeah, but still. You didn’t have to, so…” He paused, shrugging. “This is the least we could do.”

Derek looked at him, watched as a pink color formed on the guy’s cheeks, and he nearly forgot that they weren’t alone in the kitchen. He only remembered when Lucky nudged his snout in his hand, and he absently put it on top of his head to give him a pet.

For only a moment, before he sighed and moved between the two college students, grabbing the pan from Scott. “You’re obviously terrible at it,” he commented in a murmur. “Set the table and try not to break anything.”

Derek never really got rid of those two ever again. But he did end up taking Stiles to bed again. Only this time, it was after a dinner and a whole lot of kissing.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [tumblr](http://hoechlbutt.tumblr.com/), come cry about fictional characters with me.


End file.
